Shelter Programs

Each year Health Care Without Walls offers free, walk-in health care to nearly 2,500 homeless women and their children in eight shelters, safe houses, and transitional family housing sites throughout the Greater Boston Area.

Our core of volunteer physicians work side-by-side with Health Care Without Walls’ veteran nursing staff to provide free, walk-in medical care–including exams and routine, diagnostic, and screening tests–at each of our established shelter-based clinical sites. Our clinicians meet the immediate medical needs of homeless women and families and re-connect them to mainstream pediatric and primary care. In addition, we provide:

over-the-counter medical supplies.

advocacy care.

connections to existing primary care resources.

advanced care referrals.

education and group counseling services (on topics such as parenting and nutrition).

Our women’s shelter locations include Rosie’s Place and Women’s Lunch Place. Our family shelter locations include the three facilities and safe houses of Casa Myrna, which house victims of domestic abuse; Mary’s House in Waltham, operated by the Middlesex Human Service Agency, and our newest family shelter clinic in Framingham. Located at the Southern Middlesex Opportunity Council’s Gordon Street Family Shelter, this new clinic will provide gap care for families in multiple metrowest area shelters.

We rely on private donations to pay for medical supplies and nursing services. Every dollar you give meets the needs of the women and children we provide with free medical care every year.